Stock Carnival Ecstasy - October 4, 2011

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Welcome to the October 4, 2011 edition of Stock Carnival Ecstasy.In the top 8 stories for the week we start with Ahmad Hassam who has an ETF trading system on How To Trade ETFs For About 10 Minutes A Week. Ken Faulkenberry takes a look at Global Investment Trends. What is Net Asset value? User 'Mutual Fund' has the answer for us. And Jose D. Roncal compares Stocks to Bonds, which is the best for you. Hope you enjoy these articles, bookmark, share, tweet, link on Facebook and come back next time.

Roxanne Porter presents 10 Expenses No Nanny Should Be Expected to Pay Herself posted at Nanny Jobs, saying, "In dealing with financial responsibilities, you will need to decide what is expected of your nanny. Below is a list of ten expenses that nanny’s should not have to pay for, while on the job for their families:"

other

J.R. Weber presents Citi Dividend $200 Cash Back Credit Card Offer Details posted at Smart Balance Transfers, saying, "Credit card companies continue to roll out incentives to consumers. Citibank hopped on the bandwagon with a new $200 cash back promotion."

Mike Piper presents A Request for Vanguard (or Fidelity, or Schwab…) posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "Why don't more brokerage firms allow for one-step rebalancing, rather than having to enter a separate transaction for each of your holdings?"

Nathan Richardson presents As Debit Card Fee Caps Come Into Effect, Banks Raise Fees on Consumers posted at Deals & Tips, saying, "Are you ready for the next move in the war on consumers? Banks are preparing to institute debit card fees in response to the caps that are about to go into effect."

stocks

Ahmad Hassam presents The Portfolio Prophet -How To Trade ETFs For About 10 Minutes A Week & Safely Grow Your Investment Portfolio! | Killer Trading Systems posted at Killer Trading Systems, saying, "These Portfolio Prophet FREE Presentations show how to trade ETFs in about 10 minutes a week and safely grow your investment portfolio."

Ken Faulkenberry presents Top Global Investment Trends to Invest In – 2011 posted at Arbor Asset Allocation Model Portfolio (AAAMP) Blog, saying, "There are some of the top global investment trends that should be included in your portfolio asset allocation in 2011 and beyond."

Mutual Fund presents What is NAV or Net Asset value? posted at Mutual Fund, saying, "This article explains what is NAV or Net Asset Value of mutual funds."

Jose D. Roncal presents Stocks Versus Bonds: Which is Right for You? posted at José Roncal, saying, "Anyone about to enter into the market for the first time is probably feeling skittish right about now. Wall Street flailed through an unprecedented crisis while Congress struggled to please everybody in the biggest financial bailout in the country’s history. When things didn’t go as planned, September 29th saw the largest one-day drop in the market’s history. Markets still have not recovered, despite an 11th hour $700 billion rescue plan Congress hammered out to prevent a real catastrophe."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of stock carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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5 Money Saving Tips for College Students

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The time you spend in college can be incredibly beneficial. Not only are you getting an education, but you're experiencing first-hand what it is like to live on your own with minimal outside support. While college life can be incredibly exciting, these first few years can have a devastating effect on your financial future if not planned out properly. Here are some financial tips everyone entering college should keep in mind.

Create a Budget

Now is the time to learn how to create a budget and stick to it no matter what happens. You are likely on a very fixed income, based on what you are getting for living expenses from your student loans, from family support, or from what is likely only a part-time job. Make a list of your known expenses, like meals not covered under your university meal plan or gas for your car, and make sure you have enough set aside for these things each week. You'll also want to set a limit on any excess spending you do.

Stick with the Dorms

Many colleges require freshmen to live in the on-campus housing. Other students may prefer the freedom of living in off-campus housing, renting apartments or houses alone or with others. Take a very close look at the expenses involved with both. You may actually find the convenience of living in a dorm to be a bit less stressful, especially during the more intense years of schooling near the end of your degree program. Besides, in a dorm you will not have to worry about the unreliability of others to pay their portions of the bills.

Take Advantage of Student Discounts

You were issued a student ID when you started class, so make sure you use it. There are dozens of places all over the country that give discounts to students. Showing your college ID to your movie theater and local restaurant can save you a considerable amount of money – and those are far from the only places offering discounts, too. Always ask if a student discount is available.

Open a Savings Account

Mom and dad won't always be able to bail you out of difficult financial situations. Start a savings account now and you won't find yourself high and dry the day after graduation. It doesn't matter if you deposit $5 or $50 – adding something on a regular basis will ensure you have some cash on hand when you really need it.

Ditch the ATM Card

Your ATM/debit card may make purchases incredibly convenient, but it also makes it easy to lose track of your expenditures. Use your card to withdraw the cash you'll need for the week and then leave the card at home. You'll have a better visual idea of how much money you have left and you'll be less likely to tap into next week's budgeted cash in advance. You'll also want to make sure you are using a bank that does not charge ATM fees. If your bank doesn't have a local branch near your college you may want to consider switching.

Keep a close eye on your finances throughout your college years. Doing so will ensure you don't end up in debt before you have a decent job and will make transitioning to the working world that much easier.

About the Author: Deborah Blair is a full-time writer with a major focus on personal finance. She writes about saving money, credit repair, and finding secured bad credit loans for those with poor financial histories.

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Stock Carnival Ecstasy - September 22, 2011

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Welcome to the September 22, 2011 edition of Stock Carnival Ecstasy.We have the top 12 articles for the period presented below. Everything Finance has a great post on the Disadvantages of Investing in Treasury Bills. We have an article on CNBC's Virtual Stock Game from Kyle Taylor. Alexander takes a look at Intel. And finally Steve Zussino sees Netflix falling from its 52 week high.

Everything Finance presents Disadvantages of Investing in Treasury Bills posted at Everything Finance, saying, "Many people like investing in Treasury bills because they are generally safe, when compared to other investments. Indeed, even with current economic troubles, Treasury bills are still backed by the most stable taxpayer base in the world."

Sandra Adams presents Improving Your Credit Score posted at Credit Cards for No Credit, saying, "The best advice that you can ever get for having a good credit score is to responsibly handle your credit over a long period of time. For those who haven’t done that, there are a few things that you can do to begin to repair your credit score."

other

Maria Clark presents How is a credit score calculated? posted at Credit Cards for Bad Credit Resource, saying, "The payment history category of the credit score formula considers account payment information, adverse public filings, delinquencies, amount of payments that are delinquent, and the number of past due items."

Tommy John presents Should they Abandon the Alternative Minimum Tax? posted at 2010Taxes, saying, "In recent negotiations on the debt ceiling, one of the considerations under discussion was that Congress remove the Alternative Minimum Tax"

Carlos Sera presents A Required Rate Tale | Financial Tales posted at Financial Tales, saying, "The real question that should be asked is—How much stock should investors hold? Old or young has nothing to do with it. So, how much stock should investors hold? The answer is—as much as required to earn the returns necessary to achieve your goals and is why I call this tale A Required Rate Tale."

stocks

Kyle Taylor presents Win $1,000,000 Playing CNBC's Virtual Stock Game posted at The Penny Hoarder.

Alexander presents Is Intel A Good Buy? posted at Dividend Stocks, saying, "Founded in 1968, Intel Corporation (INTC) has grown into a 104 billion dollar company that today dominates the global semi-conductor industry, providing processors for the PC and server market. It is only second to Korea’s Samsung Electronics, with a market cap of 118 billion."

Dividend Growth Investor presents Dividend Stocks – The safest investment in the world posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, "Companies that raise dividends also provide a rising stream of income which retirees could use to live off their portfolios. As a result, investors would not have to worry about selling their growth stocks when the market tanks in order to pay their monthly expenses."

Steve Zussino presents Is Netflix (NFLX) stock headed for the bottom? posted at Canadian Personal Finance, saying, "One of the main reasons I don’t like to invest in technology companies or technology services anymore is that the next ‘big thing’ can come along and convince the consumer to switch brands.

An example is Netflix (NFLX).



Their Unique Selling Proposition is that they are an easy way to view a huge library of videos and you can watch on a variety of devices and you do not need to buy cable anymore at an affordable price."

Mutual Fund presents What is a Mutual Fund? posted at Mutual Fund, saying, "Here is an article that explains in simple terms what is a mutual fund. If you have no idea about mutual funds, this article will explain that."

tips

Deborah Brown presents Secured v. Unsecured Card posted at First Credit Card, saying, "An unsecured credit card is a traditional credit card where the bank issuing the credit card does not require the card holder to make a deposit or otherwise pledge security for the credit line."

Kyle Taylor presents 5 Weird Ways to Make Money Recycling posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, "Collecting cans for the recycling center is not the only way to make a buck with your recyclables. Check out these 5 new, very weird ways to make extra money recycling…"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of stock carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Stock Carnival Ecstasy - September 8, 2011

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Welcome to the September 8, 2011 edition of Stock Carnival Ecstasy.In this issue we have 17 stories that you will find interesting dealing with investing, credit, debt and finance. Everything Finance gets us started with a post on budgeting for couples. For those looking to make 401k Withdrawals, Justin Tops has a nice article on what to know and understand. A. Lee takes a look at the resignation of Steve Jobs. And finally, Tim Fraticelli takes a look at the volatility in the markets as of late. Hope you enjoy the articles, bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook, and come back soon.

Everything Finance presents 5 Creative Ways To Save Money On Your Cell Phone Bill posted at Everything Finance, saying, "#1 – Employee and student discounts
Most major cell phone providers – including Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon – offer special discounts for employees of..."

Everything Finance presents The Best Credit Cards For Job Seekers posted at Everything Finance, saying, "It might not be the first big thought that enters a job seeker’s mind, when checking out employment ads and scoping around websites such as Monster or Craigslist."

Everything Finance presents The Best Credit Score to Buy a Car posted at Everything Finance, saying, "When you go to buy a car, you want to get the best deal. While getting a good deal does rely on your negotiating skills to a certain extent, getting the most bang for your buck also includes getting a good interest rate on your auto loan."

Everything Finance presents Budgeting Tips for Couples posted at Everything Finance, saying, "The days where your biggest decision as a couple was what movie you were going to watch are over. Now, you are taking a new step as partners – perhaps you have recently moved in together, or are considering starting a family.

Read more: http://www.everythingfinanceblog.com/2010/10/budgeting-tips-for-couples.html#ixzz12RASiXVA"

other

Tarik presents Make Vacation Time Every Day – 3 Steps to Retiring Today posted at Success starts today, saying, "You will never need a vacation again."

Linda Rodriguez presents How has credit grown? posted at Credit Cards for Fair Credit, saying, "The growth in the debt burdened carried by American households began to accelerate in the 90s. Adjusted for inflation, the average family in the 1990s had a debt to income ratio of 85%."

Maria Clark presents Handling Credit Card Debt posted at Credit Cards for Bad Credit.

Mike Piper presents You Call This an Efficient Market? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "Is the extreme volatility of the stock market a sign that it's not an efficient market?"

Marvin Grossman presents Fake Nurses, Fake Patients and Other Strange Credit Card Crimes posted at CardRatings Blog, saying, "The police are searching for a fake nurse who stole some very real credit cards. Fake nurses aren't only out there. Beware of fake patients."

Deborah Brown presents Establishing Credit posted at First Credit Card.

Nathan Richardson presents What is the Average Credit Score? posted at Deals & Tips, saying, "Credit scores are one of the most important factors determining whether or not a consumer will be approved for a loan or line of credit."

Justin Tops presents Making 401k Withdrawals posted at 401k Calculator, saying, "With the economy doing badly, you may be thinking of making a 401k withdrawal. This post outlines some of the things to consider before you do."

stocks

A. Lee presents Apple: Steve Jobs Resigned! posted at CRM Help Desk Software.com, saying, "When the CEO of the most powerful IT companies leaves, the whole industry will see shake up!"

Tim Fraticelli presents Why is the Stock Market so Volatile Now? posted at Faith and Finance, saying, "August has been an extremely volatile month for the stock market. With daily surges and dips will above 400 points, both the media and investors are asking the question “What’s happening to the markets?"

rob quigley presents The Rally the Past Two Weeks Has Been Unconvincing posted at The Chartographer's Map Room.

stefanz presents Stock buybacks and issuing of shares - Investing: Strategy, Risk, Tools, and more... - Skuzet posted at skuzet, saying, "There are several reasons why companies announce stock buyback programs and issue shares. But what are the effects of the stock buybacks and share issuing? In this article, the different effects are discussed."

tips

Dorothy presents Why would I want a secured credit card? posted at Secured Credit Cards.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of stock carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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A Beginners Guide to Selecting The Right Platform For Trading Stocks Online

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It’s a sad fact that very few people will be able to get up one day, take a gentle dip into the investing in the stock market for the first time and make some money. Investing in stocks and shares is a little too complicated for that. With even traders who are long in the tooth having trouble choosing investments sometimes those who are new to the game should always take the upmost care. However, this doesn’t mean beginner investors shouldn’t have a go. Even with the world markets in the state they are in, there is still money to be made from the right, careful investments. But getting those investments right comes down to three or four crucial details – timing, analysis, cool decision taking and lastly, a very good investment broker.

However, of all those attributes, getting a good broker can be the hardest for new investors, mainly because good brokers will cost you a fortune. Whilst brokers can offer you years of experience and knowledge, unfortunately they will also take a large commission that will cut down your profits (should you be lucky enough to make any). Thankfully, nowadays there are all kinds of online trading platforms that can help you with the actual brokerage and trading of your investments. These new online trading systems assist investors by allowing them to buy stocks at a fair price as well as supplying them with the newest and most complete analysis available at the time in order that they can make educated decisions on their investments. Some of the common platforms used by investors are Fidelity, E-Trade and Scottrade. These are popular platforms and each of them have their pros and cons but they have been tried and tested for many years and are a good place to start for new investors. Before you choose one of them read up as many reviews of them as you can find and take advantage of any free trials you can find.

There are certain factors you should weigh up when taking your decision but the main decision should be based on the price of their account fees and who has the lowest margin rates. Once you have narrowed it down to the best value platforms you should then choose one based on how good the staff and support are. Any trading platform worth it salt will have brokers working for them who are happy to help their customers and guide them towards making safe investments.

Lastly, remember that whichever platform you sign on with, it should not be your only investment source and you should only invest money you can afford to lose. Markets can be volatile, especially in the current climate, so if you are new to the game, play carefully.

Alex is a freelance journalist and financial blogger. He loves to write about football and jazz but spends most of his days writing about mortgages, stocks and shares and payday loans.

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Stock Carnival Ecstasy - August 25, 2011

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Welcome to the August 25, 2011 edition of Stock Carnival Ecstasy.This time we start off with a tax story that was popular across the US this past month, Sale Tax Holidays by Robert Moore. Mike Piper takes a look at investing all of your current income into a retirement plan when the markets are struggling. Online Dividends has 5 Stocks that are On Sale. And finally for the next leg up on gold, John Border looks at ways to purchase gold. Hope you enjoy the content, bookmark, share, like on Facebook, Stumble, Tweet and come back real soon.

Robert Moore presents Sales Tax 2011 Holiday Spurs Lots Of Shopping posted at 2011 Tax, saying, "A sales tax holiday is used by many states to spur sending during the month of August."

other

Kyle Taylor presents Get Paid $100 to Name a Company posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, "There is a new trend called "naming contests" where small businesses outsource their branding to consumers like us. Check out how to enter a naming contest and why it could make you a $100 or more."

Mike Piper presents Does It Still Make Sense to Max Out Your 401k? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "In light of the recent craziness in the stock market, does it still make sense for people to max out their retirement accounts?"

CardWisdom presents Understanding The Chase Sapphire $500 Offer posted at Smart Balance Transfers, saying, "Chase is offering a lucrative $500 sign up bonus on their Sapphire credit card, but this deal is not for everyone."

Kyle Taylor presents Does BP Oil Owe us $6,000? posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, "I recently found out that I might be owed a ton of money from three different class action settlements. The experience made me realize that I should be on the lookout for others. Here's how I found them and submitted my claim form..."

stocks

Online Dividends presents 5 Stocks On Sale posted at The DIV-Net, saying, "With the drop in the market being the talk of the town, it's not terribly difficult to find value. I could probably put a list of 30 or more stocks that I find particular value in, but I think ultimately you want to stick to your plan. You should always think about allocation, diversification and buying quality on sale."

tips

Jonathan Milligan presents Get Me Out of Debt! posted at Simple Life Habits, saying, "Are you drowning in financial debt? Here are 5 of my favorite tips for turning around your financial situation."

John Border presents How to buy gold in the stock market posted at Stock Market Basics, saying, "The best way to have gold in your portfolio is to buy gold stocks or gold etf as opposed to buying physical gold."

Robert Moore presents Ten Tax Tips For Individuals Who Are Moving This Summer | 2011 Taxes posted at 2011 Taxes, saying, "Keep all of your hotel receipts. You can deduct the money you spent on lodging while moving from one place to another."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of stock carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Landmarks in the Forex History

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Some of the main landmark events in the forex history without which the forex market wouldn’t be the same as we know it today are the so-called Plaza accord and Louvre accord. They had very powerful influence on the principles of modern currency trading.

Plaza Accord or Plaza Agreement is the agreement between the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain and Japan about the coordination of efforts in order to adjust the exchange rates, signed in 1985 at the Plaza Hotel, New York. The essence of the Plaza Accord for the currency market development was the revaluation of the existing exchange rate system.

According to the Plaza Agreement, US dollar was depreciated in relation to the G-5’s and Japanese currencies. This was achieved by these countries’ central banks intervention in the currency markets.

The aims of the Plaza Accord were to reduce the current account deficit in the USA and to drag the US economy out of recession. As a result, US currency was devalued for about a half of its previous value, while European and Japanese currencies were, on the contrary, revalued for 50%.

The key significance of the Plaza Agreement and exchange rate adjustment lied in the cooperation between the world countries in the economic terms. This was the rise of the economic globalization which continued and deepened in future.

The Louvre Accord (signed in 1987 in Paris) is an agreement between the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan, and Canada about the coordination of G-6’s currency interventions aimed at supporting their exchange rates and stabilizing the US dollar which was depreciating. The Louvre Accord followed the Plaza Accord.

What made the Plaza Accord different from the Louvre Accord is the fact that the Plaza Accord was a trade agreement aimed at currencies exchange rates adjustment to meet the suitable trade levels for all the countries. While the Louvre Accord focused not only on readjustments, but also on synchronization of fiscal and monetary policies within all countries on the macroeconomic level.

There were three goals that the Louvre Accord was striving to achieve: to balance the currency market and thus the whole world economic system, to introduce coordinated world monetary consultations in case US dollar declined more than 5% and to stabilize the monetary system for the least developed countries thus promoting their growth. All these goals were supposed to be achieved in case the world monetary coordination prescribed by the Louvre Accord was consistent and permanent.

The Louvre Accord was the world’s final attempt to establish a fixed exchanged rate – an attempt that failed which proved that no more measures should be taken in that direction. Finally, the world once and for all became aware of the inevitability of implementing the floating exchange rate, in which the market forces of demand and supply form the price for a certain currency in the foreign exchange market.

Alexander Collins is a CEO of Forexeasystems and developer of currency trading strategy ProFx and another auto forex trading software as EA Shark and EA Sigma.

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